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Scenic British Columbia Wedding at God’s Mountain Estate

Melissa and Rob had previously stayed at God’s Mountain Estate, an upscale B&B that sits on the edge of Skaha Lake, so they knew it would be the perfect place for their British Columbia Wedding. They especially loved the estate’s European-infused style and the acres of plus green land surrounding it. They aimed to keep their wedding as much like a big family dinner in Europe as possible, with their guests seated at long tables during the family-style dinner while enjoying great food and wine. Tomasz Wagner Photo & Films captured every moment from Melissa and Rob’s elegant and timeless affair, and he captured some great portraits of the couple just as the sun began to set.

We stayed at God’s Mountain the summer previous for my other company, The Perfect Hideaway, and fell in love. It had the European feel we adore and it also has 14 bedrooms, which meant that our closest friends and family could stay there with us.

I left the dress until the month before, deciding to have something custom made from Cache Atelier, drawing inspiration from a French designer I loved. I wanted it to be simple, but it also had to be somewhat practical, as I had a 6 month old son! I wanted my overall look to be special, but I also wanted to feel like me, so I kept the makeup light and my hair simple.

Having photographed at least a hundred weddings, I was quite specific about what I wanted (and didn’t want). Luckily, Rob was in agreement with it all. Essentially, we wanted a celebration that felt like a big family dinner in Europe. We wanted a long table, family style dinner with great food and wine. We wanted it to be elegant and timeless, yet fun and casual.

We added a lot of slightly unconventional elements to our ceremony. Rob walked down the aisle with our son, Max, and handed him to my mother to hold. I had my both my father and step-father walk me down the aisle. We had a friend of ours, Mark, officiate the wedding. We also re-wrote most of the ceremony with our personal vows.

We didn’t have a particular wedding color, we just wanted everything neutral to highlight the spectacular setting.For the tabletops, we used tan/grey linens with white pillar candles and silvery green foliage with white loose blooms laid on the tabletops. The venue is so spectacular, we wanted to keep it as simple as possible.

Being a really dry summer, there were lots of fires burning, and an especially large one just south of Penticton. The morning of the wedding was clear, and it wasn’t until just after the ceremony that the winds shifted and the smoke arrived in full force. Luckily everyone got to enjoy the spectacular lake and vineyard views during the ceremony and cocktail hour, because during the dinner, it was completely socked in.